Changing Canadian Families

Introduction

• Family plays a significant role in the survival of society.
• Family connection plays a role in shaping individual and societal identities.
• Societal changes impact family dynamics and vice versa.
• Family models have evolved over time.
• Successful families provide emotional support, care for elders, raise the next generation and are inclusive.

Family Diversity

• Nuclear family: a parent or parents and children
• Extended family: parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
• Simple households: unrelated adults with or without children
• Complex households: two or more related adults who are not married but could potentially live separately.

Changing Canadian Families

• The marriage rate is decreasing while the cohabitation rate is increasing.
• The age of first marriage is increasing.
• Divorces rates are increasing but the percentage is decreasing.
• More women are having children in their thirties.
• The number of children per family is below the "replacement rate".
• As many couples without children as with.
• Children are leaving home at a later age.
• Lone-parent families are increasing.
• More people are living alone.

Quebec Family Statistics

• Quebec has the highest cohabitation rate (37%).
• Quebec has the lowest marriage rate (2.9 per 100,000).
• Quebec has the highest divorce rate (69.2 per cent per 100 marriages).
• Quebec has the highest number of divorces for couples married less than 30 years (61 per 100 marriages).
• Quebec has the highest number of births to single mothers.
• Quebec has the highest percentage of births to divorce women.
• Quebec has the highest support for same-sex marriages.

Conjugal Roles

• Conjugal roles: are distinctive husband and wife roles that result from the division of labor within the family.
• Segregated conjugal roles: tasks, interests, and activities are different between husband and wife.
• Joint conjugal roles: many tasks, interests, and activities are shared between husband and wife.

Changes in Conjugal Roles

• Beaujot argues we moved from complementary to companionate relationships.
• Complementary roles (segregated) are where men are the breadwinners and women are primarily responsible for childcare and housework.
• Companionate roles (joint) are where breadwinning and caretaking roles overlap.

The Value of Unpaid Work

• The move to companionate roles is not complete.
• Married women, especially with young children, perform more unpaid work at home than married men.
• This creates an imbalance in conjugal roles where women experience a "double burden" or "second shift".
• The double ghetto describes the marginalization of working women inside and outside of the home.

Gender Strategy

• To correct gender imbalances, Arlie Hochschild proposes gender strategy, where individuals plan actions based on cultural notions of gender.
• Childcare responsibilities encourage occupational segregation.
• Women choose more flexible occupations that accommodate childcare interruptions.

Ethnic Factor in Conjugal Roles

• In some ethnic groups, recent immigrants adhere to segregated conjugal roles.
• Immigrants often assimilate and adopt Western approaches.
• Ethnic factors should be considered in any study of gender roles.

Marrying "In" and Marrying "Out"

• Endogamy: marrying someone of the same ethnic, religious, or cultural group.
• Exogamy: marrying outside one’s group.
• Some ethnic groups practice endogamy (South Asians, Chinese).
• Canadians are becoming more open to inter-ethnic marriages (Japanese).

Family and Ethnicity

• The federal government has created policies that have deprived racialized minorities of families.
• Expensive head taxes have been levied on immigrants from China and South Asia.
• Domestic workers have been mistreated.

Attacks on the Indigenous Family

• During the early 20th century, Indian Agents withheld food rations to enforce monogamy.
• Residential schools were created to keep Indigenous children away from the influence of their families.
• Indigenous children experienced physical, emotional and sexual abuse at residential schools.

Introduction

• Family is crucial to the survival of individuals and societies
• There is a close relationship between societal and familial changes
• Families have always played a critical role in social formation, political and economic systems
• Different models of family have existed throughout history, including extended families and nuclear families
• Typical successful families provide emotional support, care for elders, raise children and are inclusive

Diverse Family Structures

• Nuclear Family: Consists of parents and their children
• Extended Family: Includes parents, children, and extended relatives
• Simple Households: Unrelated adults with or without children
• Complex Households: Two or more related adults who are not married but live together
• The "average" Canadian family is diverse and constantly evolving

Changing Canadian Families

• There is a decreasing marriage rate and an increasing cohabitation rate
• First marriage age is rising
• Divorce rates are increasing, but the rate is falling
• More women are having children in their thirties
• The number of children per family is below the replacement rate
• There are almost as many couples without children as with children
• Children are leaving home at a later age
• There are more lone-parent families
• More people are living alone

Quebec Families

• Quebec families are distinct from other Canadian families
• Quebec has the highest cohabitation rate and the lowest marriage rate
• Quebec has the highest divorce rate, especially for couples married less than 30 years
• In 2011 Quebec had the greatest number of births to single mothers and divorce women
• Quebec has the greatest support for same-sex marriages

Conjugal Roles

• Conjugal roles are the distinct roles of the husband and wife that result from the division of labor within the family
• Segregated roles divide tasks, interests, and activities clearly between husband and wife
• Joint roles involve shared tasks, interests, and activities
• Elizabeth Bott characterized conjugal roles in 1957

Earning and Caring

• Beaujot (2000) argued that we moved from complementary to companionate relationships
• Complementary roles are segregated, with men primarily as earners and women primarily in unpaid carework
• Companionate roles are joint, with overlapping breadwinning and caretaking roles
• The real value of unpaid work is often underestimated

Earning and Caring: Changes in Conjugal Roles, cont'd

• Despite the move towards companionate roles, married women, especially those with young children, still do more unpaid work at home
• This creates an imbalance in conjugal roles, with women taking on a "double burden" or "second shift"
• The double ghetto describes the marginalization of working women both inside and outside the home
• Gender strategy, as described by Arlie Hochschild, is essential for correcting gender imbalances
• Childcare responsibilities encourage occupational segregation, with women choosing flexible occupations that allow for childcare-related work interruptions

The Ethnic Factor in Conjugal Roles

• Segregated conjugal roles are prevalent among recent immigrants from some ethnic groups, such as South Asian immigrants
• However, immigrants often gradually assimilate and adopt Western approaches
• It is necessary to consider the ethnic factor in any study of gender roles within Canadian families

Marrying "In" and Marrying "Out"

• Endogamy refers to marrying someone within the same ethnic, religious, or cultural group
• Exogamy refers to marrying outside one's group
• Some ethnic groups, including South Asian and Chinese communities, have strong traditions of endogamy
• However, Canadians are becoming increasingly comfortable with interethnic marriages

Family and Ethnicity

• The Canadian federal government has created policies that have historically deprived racialized minorities of family
• Historically, there have been discriminatory policies against immigrants from China and South Asia, including a head tax
• Domestic workers from Guadeloupe and Jamaica faced discriminatory treatment

Attacks on the Indigenous Family

• Throughout the early 20th century, Indian Agents withheld food rations to enforce monogamy among Indigenous communities
• Residential schools were created to separate Indigenous children from their parents and communities
• Indigenous children experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of school officials

Introduction

• Families are core to survival in Canada and beyond
• Families are a source of significant relationships
• Families play a central role in societal formation, political and economic systems, and culture
• Families are vital to individual, social, and national identities
• Alterations in family experiences can lead to various social issues, including emotional and psychological stresses
• Families exist in many forms

Model of Canadian Families

• Traditional model of Canadian families include stem/extended families and Euro-Canadian nuclear families
• New forms of families have emerged over time
• Successful families provide emotional support, care for elders, raise the next generation, and are inclusive

Family Diversity

• Nuclear family: Includes parents and children
• Extended family: Includes parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
• Simple households: Unrelated adults with or without children
• Complex households: Two or more adults who are related but not married and live together

Changing Canadian Families

• Decreasing marriage rate & rising cohabitation rate
• Age of first marriage is rising
• Overall increase in divorces, but the divorce rate is falling
• More women are having children in their thirties
• Drop in the number of children per family below the “replacement rate”
• Nearly as many couples without children as with children
• Children are leaving home at a later age
• More lone-parent families
• Increased number of people living alone

Family in Quebec

• Quebec families are distinct from families in other parts of Canada
• Quebec has the highest cohabitation rate, the lowest marriage rate, and the highest divorce rate in the country
• Highest number of divorces among couples married less than 30 years

Conjugal Roles

• Conjugal (or marital) roles: Distinctive roles of husband and wife resulting from division of labor within the family
• Bott Hypothesis: Elizabeth Bott (1957) categorized conjugal roles as:
  • Segregated: Tasks, interests, and activities are clearly different, with distinct roles for men and women.
  • Joint: Tasks, interests, and activities are shared by both partners, with more equal roles.

Earning and Caring: Changes in Conjugal Roles

• Beaujot (2000) argued that Canada moved from complementary to companionate relationships:
  • Complementary roles (Bott’s segregated roles): Men were primarily earners while women were involved in unpaid childcare and housework.
  • Companionate roles (Bott’s joint roles): Breadwinning and caretaking roles overlapped with greater shared responsibility.

Earning and Caring: Changes in Conjugal Roles, cont’d

• Value of unpaid work is significant
• Married women, particularly those with young children, still perform more unpaid work at home than married men.
• "Double burden" or "second shift": Women take on the responsibilities of work and unpaid household labor.
• The double ghetto describes the marginalization of working women both inside and outside the home.

Earning and Caring: Changes in Conjugal Roles, cont’d

• Gender strategy (Arlie Hochschild): Plan of action individuals use to solve problems based on cultural notions of gender.
• Childcare responsibilities encourage occupational segregation, leading women to choose occupations with flexibility for childcare-related interruptions.

The Ethnic Factor in Conjugal Roles

• Segregated conjugal roles are dominant among recent immigrants from some ethnic groups, such as South Asian immigrants.
• However, immigrants often assimilate and adopt Western approaches to conjugal roles.
• Ethnic factors must be considered in any study of gender roles in the Canadian family.

Marrying "In" and Marrying "Out"

• Endogamy: Marrying someone from the same ethnic, religious, or cultural group.
• Exogamy: Marrying outside one's group.
• Certain ethnic groups, such as South Asians and Chinese, have a strong tradition of endogamy.
• Canadians are becoming increasingly comfortable with inter-ethnic marriages.

Family and Ethnicity

• Federal government policies have historically aimed to deprive racialized minorities of family structures:
  • Expensive head tax levied on immigrants from China and South Asia (19th and 20th century)
  • Treatment of domestic workers (Guadeloupe, Jamaica)

Attacks on the Indigenous Family

• During the early 20th century, Indian Agents withheld food rations to enforce monogamy among Indigenous communities.
• Residential schools were established to separate Indigenous children from their families and communities.
  • Children endured physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of school officials.